Indiana WR in serious water accident
Indiana Wide Receiver Isaac Griffith was in a serious water accident over Spring Break. Apparently he was caught in a rip tide, and is now in a medically induced coma to allow his lungs to function properly. His parents Shannon and Kim are at his side in the ICU, and ask prayer that Isaac's lungs would heal properly.
This is one of those reminders that there are things more important than sports rivalries.
Sad to hear. Wish him well in his recovery.
Will be sending warm thoughts and metta meditations, especially to his parents and family. As a parent, it's your worst nightmare to think of a child being injured like this.
Its not about sports at this point.
My sincerest prayers are with the whole Griffith family.
In case you're wondering, Griffith redshirted as a freshman in 2013, so we never saw him play. His bio says he was the two-time scout player of the week for Indiana last season. Hopefully he can get back to that level or better. Rip tides are sneaky and dangerous...
http://www.iuhoosiers.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/isaac_griffith_856433.html
Riptide's are no joke, I always try to be extra cautious whenever getting in water that I'm unfamiliar with. Ask the locals about rip currents, etc. I've had a close call in the past that could have gone very badly if not for sheer luck.
Best wishes to him and his family.
That is why I always take a minute to examine the water before I go in because they are usually easy to spot.
Many times people make the mistake of trying to swim to shore or against it. If you aren't a good swimmer your will get tired really quickly. In most cases you want to swim parallel to shore.
its tough. I swam competitively and they still scare the shit out of me. I've gotten body slammed by some waves on the ocean floor on a few occasions. Riptide's sometimes don't care how good of a swimmer you are.
It's actually a good idea to let it take you out (don't even try to fight it, you will lose), then swim parallel to shore until you hit calmer water, then swim back in...
More for personal reasons for just myself (and others). What should we be looking for in the water to suggest even a possibility of a rip current? I'll be in the ocean in a few weeks and want to at least have an idea just in case. Thank you in advance.
isn't the solution for all things, but they have a pretty good, simple write-up on these. With pictures. I googled it after reading this. Lived in MI my whole life and on the West Coast for a while, but still never swin in waves much. Having kids now, want to be prepared.
Don't fight it, swim parallel, observe the water before you go out... just as others have said.
First, look at the surf. If there are even moderate waves, pay close attention. Next thing to look for is water depth, and dropoff from shore (how quick does it drop off?). From there it comes down to location (is it in a bay, open water, etc) and weather patterns.
Hope that helps. Always ask the locals if you're not sure, or not a very strong swimmer. If the locals aren't swimming, you probably shouldn't either.
edit: surface features both on shore, and the seafloor can have an impact also. That part comes down to common sense and "reading the water".
Ask the locals is important because not all beaches are the same.
On most sandy bottom beaches the rip current will look murky and cloudier because the water going out is churning up the sand from the bottom. For me that is the easiest way to tell, but sometimes rip currents form without you noticing.
Fins really help in this situation. I don't recommend diving fins because they are long and awkward, but I almost always have my body surfing fins with me. To be safe, if the waves are overhead height you shouldn't be in the water without fins.
If you are not wave savvy, be extremely cautious about getting in the water with medium to large waves at all. With kids always keep them between you and the beach and be constantly aware of the size of the waves and if/how they are changing.
It is correct not to fight the riptide by swimming against it directly toward shore, however they can sometimes be flowing diagonally to the beach, so if you are swimming parallel to the beach and not getting out of the current, swim parallel in the other direction.
Lastly, a rip current can carry you out past the point at which the waves are breaking and if you are not a strong confident swimmer that knows surf and has no problem with being able to swim back in through the impact zone, even getting out of the rip current can leave you in a dangerous predicament. If caught outside a break you can't comfortably swim through, try to float outside the break and wave for help rather than swim into waves you can't handle. Bottom line, if you are not completely comfortable in the waves, you should not be in the water.
I don't know how bad the rip currents are in Florida, but I experienced some pretty strong ones in San Diego. They're dangerous, especially when alcohol is involved.
Riptides can and do move around. It's dependant on weather, shore conditions, depth, tide, and a few other things I'm forgetting about.
how scary. prayers for him & his family.
Prayers for him and the family for his recovery
Prayers for him and his family.
I've been in many different levels of them, but rip currents can be scary even if you are an experienced swimmer.
My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. May he have a complete recovery.
Agree that this is the time when sports rivalries become meaningless.
During my high school years, a three-sport athlete for one of our rivals suffered a serious, potentially life-threatening injury. Without hesitation, those of us in the school's Letterman's Club who’d known him through competition decided to organize a fund-raising drive for him and his family to help pay for his hospital bills. He recovered, and he and his family greatly appreciated knowing of our support through their difficult time.
It reminds me of how Brady Hoke responded to Grant Reed, the Ohio boy who’d named his cancerous brain tumor "Michigan" so he’d feel that it would make it easier for him to beat the disease. (Apologies for the source of the link.) That's the Michigan Difference!.
Maybe a poster board card, offering best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery, signed by the players and coaches of Michigan Team 135, and sent to Isaac Griffith’s hospital room in Florida would be a nice gesture for him and his family.
Regarding Rip Tides, you can't be too careful. My mother swam and dove competitively, and was on the coaching staff at the University of North Dakota many, many years ago. Despite her own swimming prowess, I'll never forget her caution and fear with some rip currents off of Acupulco Bay when I was a boy. When I lived in Bradenton, Florida, you could see the water flowing in and out with the tides, and you could sense the power and force involved. Last Labor Day, I was swimming with my kids in Lake Michigan near Sawyer, and an inexperienced swimmer drowned because of underestimating the currents.
To the poster who asked how you can tell, sometimes you can even see the water moving out, especially when a small bit of debris is floating on the surface. You can wade out to knee or thigh depth and feel the currents, If they're consistently pulling you out (rather than the normal ebb and flow of the water,) that's a "red flag."
If you get caught in a current, the best thing is to swim parallel to the shore. You'll be pulled out some, but will eventually leave the rip current, and can make your way in slowly. The other thing is to float on your back and not exert all your energy. Assuming you are swimming with someone else, yell out, let them know, and someone can get out to rescue you. The worst thing you can do is to panic and expend all your energy fighting against the current. That's a fight you're not going to win.
very thoughtful post friend, thanks for sharing.
Really hope he's okay. He's from Fort Wayne, and I have a couple buddies who play for his dad down at Manchester, where he's the HC.
Prayers.
For him and his family.
I went to the same high school as he did. He is a few years younger then me, but was a stud in high school. Hope he recovers and can get back to playing football.